Dr. Peter Gott has helped thousands of readers shed pounds and keep the weight off for good. From delicious meals to helpful tips, his foolproof weight-loss plan has it all – that is, everything except flour and sugar. But before you hit the panic button (I can’t live without chocolate!), find out how it’s possible to lose weight painlessly. Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet (Warner, 2007) will guide you every step of the way. And yes, cheating is allowed…

A practicing physician for more than 40 years, Dr. Gott’s syndicated medical advice column, “Ask Dr. Gott,” appears daily in more than 350 newspapers nationwide.

After thousands of his patients and readers asked him for an easy, effective weight-loss plan, Dr. Gott developed the “no sugar, no flour” concept, and a book was born.

Why This Diet?Dr. Gott says his plan is simple and inexpensive, requiring no fancy gadgets, pre-packaged foods or calorie-counting. The method? Simply getting rid of flour and sugar.

“Eliminating flour and added sugar from your diet, without making other changes, reduces the number of calories you consume,” Dr. Gott tells Lifescript. Cutting out sugar means saying sayonara to high-calorie candy and ice cream.

By cutting out flour, the other no-no, you eliminate items like pizza, pasta and baked goods – all of which are high in calories and low in nutrition.

Flour and Sugar: Why Are They So Bad?It’s a given that we need carbohydrates to survive. In order to use the fuel from the carbohydrates we eat, the body first converts them to glucose.

Simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and flour, are easily converted into glucose – too easily. Consuming them sends a rush of glucose into your blood stream, creating a “sugar high.”

Then the glucose leaves your body as quickly as it entered. You crash and are just as fatigued and hungry as you were before you ate.

Lucky for you, this plan doesn’t require followers to cut out all carbohydrates, just the ones that cause a spike in blood sugar levels. For example, although fruit is considered a simple carbohydrate, it contains a secret ingredient – fiber.

Fiber slows the digestion process and reduces the absorption of glucose, preventing a sugar high and subsequent crash. Therefore, fruit is not only OK on the plan, it’s an essential component.

But what should you stay away from? Dr. Gott’s plan recommends you avoid all types of flour, including wheat, rice and corn. Steer clear of added sugar, as well.

Read ingredient labels carefully because added sugar is often listed as cane juice, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, and molasses. Note: Added sugar, found in foods like cookies and cakes, is different than the natural sugar found in fruit and milk, which are allowed on the plan.

What You Can EatHere is a partial list of foods that get the thumbs-up from Dr. Gott:

Starches and grains: rice, oats, potatoes, corn

Legumes: beans, nuts, seeds, peas

Meat: fish, chicken, lean pork chops, extra-lean ground beef

Dairy: eggs, low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk, low-fat cheese

Fats: olive oil, sunflower oil

Fruits

Vegetables

Just because you avoid flour and sugar doesn’t mean you can go hog wild with the foods that are allowed.

After all, skipping the cookies and loading up on buttered mashed potatoes won’t help your weight loss goals – or your health. That’s why in addition to eliminating flour and sugar, the plan emphasizes a balanced amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

What about fat? The book doesn’t ban it but emphasizes eating the right ones. Olive oil, nuts, avocados, and low-fat dairy all have healthy fats and low amounts of saturated fats.CravingsDr. Gott includes plenty of diet-friendly substitutions for your favorite foods. Instead of conventional bread, he suggests a loaf made from sprouted wheat berries, sprouted rye or sprouted barley. And if you can’t get pasta out of your head, try tomato sauce-topped polenta.

He also points out that his plan allows carbohydrates like rice, beans and potatoes, so most people don’t mind giving up flour.

If you’re jonesing for something sweet, opt for fresh fruit – the riper it is, the more concentrated the natural sugars. For baking, Dr. Gott recommends fruit sweeteners, which are made from concentrated fruit juice.

And if you can’t live without sweetener in your morning coffee, try Splenda. “Sugar substitutes are safe in moderation,” he says.

Even those with a wicked sweet tooth are surprised at how easy it is go forgo dessert. “Many patients report that they don’t even crave sugar anymore,” Dr. Gott says.

Cheat DaysHowever, no one can stay away from flour and sugar forever, and even Dr. Gott confesses to an occasional craving for Ben and Jerry’s. The trick, he says, is to indulge in moderation while monitoring your weight.

“Let’s say you have twenty pounds to lose, and you lose ten. You can have a little sugar. But if your weight starts creeping back up or you stop losing weight, cut it out again.”

The great thing about this diet is that it’s as simple as paying attention to your body. When you really need to lose weight and firm up, cut out flour and sugar entirely. But if you’re more relaxed about weight loss, feel free to indulge a little.

“This is not a strict diet,” Dr. Gott says. “Rather, it’s a series of suggestions on how to make healthier substitutions.”

What’s Cookin’?The book includes a sample two-week eating plan, along with recipes for every meal of the day. Follow the schedule exactly, partially or not at all. As long as you stay away from flour and sugar, you’re still following the rules of the diet.

Dr. Gott recommends trying at least one of the recipes. “Many readers are surprised by how delicious a no-sugar, no-flour recipe can taste,” he says. Recipes include entrées such as Curried Lentils with Butternut Squash and waistline-friendly desserts like Peach and Blueberry Crisp.

The PayoffReplacing flour and sugar with fresh, nutrient-rich fare results in more than a smaller dress size. You’ll enjoy better health, more energy and a greater quality of life. “This diet not only has a physical effect, but an emotional effect as well,” Dr. Gott says.

What’s Your Ingredient List IQ?How much do you know about your food’s ingredients? Sugar and flour aren’t the only potentially harmful ingredients in your diet. Test your knowledge of sneaky additives, from yellow #6 to rBGH, with this ingredient list quiz.

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